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Parashat Vayigash
December 31, 2011
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg
This week as the Joseph drama continues, the tension builds to its climax as Judah passes Joseph’s test. As he intervenes on behalf of Benjamin, the youngest brother, and the only full brother of Joseph, Judah reveals how profoundly he has changed since the day when he sold Joseph down to Egypt. The last sentence he utters, “Let me not be witness to the woe that would overtake my father!”, is so powerful for Joseph to hear that he can no longer control himself. Through his sobs, Joseph tells his brothers, “I am Joseph.”
Chapters 45 and 46 recount how Joseph’s family comes down to Egypt, marking a shift in the paradigm of brothers in the book of Genesis. And here, I must give credit to David Tilles’ for helping me see how in this generation, in contrast to the generations of Abraham/Lot, Isaac/Ishmael and Jacob/Esau, the brothers reconcile and decide to live together. The brothers do not go their separate ways. We’ll explore this shift together and ask what the Torah is trying to teach us.
While the happy reunion of this family is taking place, in Chapter 47 we are brought back to the Egyptian reality. The famine continues and is very severe to the point that the people first sell their grain, then their livestock and finally their land and themselves as serfs to the Pharaoh. There is a stark contrast between the plight of the Egyptian people and the last line of the parashah, “Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; they acquired holdings in it, and were fertile and increased greatly. We’ll explore the question of the meaning of this contrast.
In the midst of this story of huge revelations and moving an entire clan from Canaan to Egypt, we have a small, quiet scene that I don’t want to allow to go unnoticed. When Jacob comes down to Egypt, he has an audience with Pharaoh. In their time together we hear Jacob’s frustration as he shares , “Few and hard have been the years of my life, nor do they come up to the life spans of my fathers during their sojourns.” And then Jacob “blesses” Pharaoh (47:9-10). The Women’s Commentary includes a beautiful poem by Amy Blank that takes us deeper into this exchange, imagining these two old men understanding each other’s very different lives and very different hopes.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
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Parashat Miketz
December 23, 2011
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg
Happy Chanukah, and Shabbat Shalom!
This week’s parashah opens with Pharaoh’s dreams about the seven fat cows being consumed by seven gaunt cows, and seven healthy ears of corn being eaten up by seven dry ears of corn. The cupbearer remembers Joseph as an interpreter of dreams and Pharaoh brings Joseph up out of the dungeon to interpret his dreams.
The word for dungeon here in Hebrew is “bor,” the same as the word for “pit.” This is the first ascent of Joseph out of the original pit into which his brothers cast him. He is now 30 years old – 13 years have passed since his brothers plotted against him and stripped him of the colorful tunic. Now he is shaved, bathed and dressed in order to be presentable to Pharoah. This is the 3rd costume change for Joseph in the story so far.
Joseph, whether we understand him to be inspired by God or by his own ambition, finds a way not only to interpret the dreams but to offer policy advice to Pharaoh. Joseph understands the dream to be predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and he suggests storing up all of the food from the 1st seven year in order to distribute it in the 2nd seven year period.
Pharaoh elevates Joseph to vizier of Egypt, in charge of collecting and then distributing grain. This is his 2nd ascent, then his 4th costume change, as he is dressed in garments of royal authority. And not only that, a name change – an Egyptian name. Oh, and there’s a 3rd ascent – he gets to ride in the chariot of Pharaoh’s 2nd in command.
Then we have the accounts of Joseph’s brothers’ travels back and forth between Canaan and Egypt, procuring rations and interacting with Joseph, whom they don’t recognize. The parashah ends with a cliff-hanger – Benjamin is caught with Joseph’s goblet in his bag, and Judah is pleading their innocence.
As I read the Parasha this year, the theme that emerged was that of trust. Pharaoh so easily hands the reins of power over to Joseph, a Hebrew who was in prison. What is it about the dreams and Joseph’s interpretations that lead Pharaosh to trust Joseph so quickly and give him so much power? On the flip side, it takes a lot for Joseph to ever trust his brothers again, and it remains an open question as to whether the brothers ever really rebuild full trust with each other. What does this lack of trust say about our ancestors –the children of Jacob? What does it say about the Jewish people today? What does it take to trust each other?
Parashat Miketz
December 23, 2011
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg
Happy Chanukah, and Shabbat Shalom!
This week’s parashah opens with Pharaoh’s dreams about the seven fat cows being consumed by seven gaunt cows, and seven healthy ears of corn being eaten up by seven dry ears of corn. The cupbearer remembers Joseph as an interpreter of dreams and Pharaoh brings Joseph up out of the dungeon to interpret his dreams.
The word for dungeon here in Hebrew is “bor,” the same as the word for “pit.” This is the first ascent of Joseph out of the original pit into which his brothers cast him. He is now 30 years old – 13 years have passed since his brothers plotted against him and stripped him of the colorful tunic. Now he is shaved, bathed and dressed in order to be presentable to Pharoah. This is the 3rd costume change for Joseph in the story so far.
Joseph, whether we understand him to be inspired by God or by his own ambition, finds a way not only to interpret the dreams but to offer policy advice to Pharaoh. Joseph understands the dream to be predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and he suggests storing up all of the food from the 1st seven year in order to distribute it in the 2nd seven year period.
Pharaoh elevates Joseph to vizier of Egypt, in charge of collecting and then distributing grain. This is his 2nd ascent, then his 4th costume change, as he is dressed in garments of royal authority. And not only that, a name change – an Egyptian name. Oh, and there’s a 3rd ascent – he gets to ride in the chariot of Pharaoh’s 2nd in command.
Then we have the accounts of Joseph’s brothers’ travels back and forth between Canaan and Egypt, procuring rations and interacting with Joseph, whom they don’t recognize. The parashah ends with a cliff-hanger – Benjamin is caught with Joseph’s goblet in his bag, and Judah is pleading their innocence.
As I read the Parasha this year, the theme that emerged was that of trust. Pharaoh so easily hands the reins of power over to Joseph, a Hebrew who was in prison. What is it about the dreams and Joseph’s interpretations that lead Pharaosh to trust Joseph so quickly and give him so much power? On the flip side, it takes a lot for Joseph to ever trust his brothers again, and it remains an open question as to whether the brothers ever really rebuild full trust with each other. What does this lack of trust say about our ancestors –the children of Jacob? What does it say about the Jewish people today? What does it take to trust each other?
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